Giavellotto unlikely to run again this season

Following back-to-back Group Two wins in the Yorkshire Cup and Princess of Wales’s Stakes, Giavellotto was widely considered the biggest threat to Aidan O’Brien’s superstar stayer but had to make do with the bronze medal, with the Willie Mullins-trained Vauban splitting the pair in second.

While keen not to make too many excuses, Botti feels his stable star was not seen to best effect in Ireland, saying: “The winner is very good, but I thought the race didn’t quite suit us. There was a very steady pace, obviously Oisin (Murphy) was following Kyprios all the way, but ideally he’d like a stronger-run race. I’m not finding excuses, it’s just one of those things to point out.

“He still ran a very good race and wasn’t beaten far. It’s a shame as it looked a good opportunity and he well deserves to win a Group One, but it wasn’t meant to be yesterday. The race didn’t play to Giavellotto’s strengths, but it was still a decent effort. He got a little bit warm going to post and whether the journey took a little bit more out of him than we thought, I’m not sure. Either way, it wasn’t a disgrace.”

With Botti keen to avoid races run over two miles and beyond, opportunities to run before the end of this season are limited.

The Newmarket-based Italian revealed an ambitious tilt at the Hong Kong Vase has been mooted, but he appears more likely to give his charge a well-earned break.

He added: “The first thing Oisin said when he got off was that if you had a mile and a half race on good ground we should probably consider it. The only option would be Hong Kong, but having said that it’s in December and he’s had a long season considering he started the year in February in Saudi.

“He’ll stay in training next year, so we might just give him a little bit of a break and try again next season. That’s my impression at the moment, but we’ll see how he comes back and talk to the owners.

“The Saudi race he finished third in is a Group Three handicap and obviously he’s a few pounds higher now than he was in February. Unless they change the conditions he would carry a lot of weight, but it is a valuable race and has to be considered. We’ll obviously look at the Yorkshire Cup again and hopefully we’ll have another go at the Irish St Leger next year.”

More from Sporting Life

• Racecards
• Fast results
• Full results and free video replays
• Horse racing news
• Horse racing tips
• Horse racing features
• Download our free iOS and Android app
• Football and other sports tips
• Podcasts and video content

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.